President Bush and Senator Kerry Continue their Race for the White House

JIM LEHRER:

Kwame Holman reports on this day in the campaign.

KWAME HOLMAN:

President Bush and Sen. Kerry traded barbs on a wide range of issues today, including how best to preserve Social Security. The senator appeared in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

SEN. JOHN KERRY:

My fellow Americans, on Nov. 2, Social Security is on the ballot, a choice between one candidate who will save Social Security and another who will undermine it.

KWAME HOLMAN:

Since the weekend, Mr. Kerry has accused President Bush of preparing a "January surprise" if he's reelected that would privatize the Social Security system.

The senator cited a New York Times Magazine article that included an unattributed account of what the president told a group of wealthy supporters about a second term.

The president reportedly said, "I'm going to come out strong after my swearing-in with privatizing of Social Security." The Kerry-Edwards campaign also released this ad on Sunday.

AD:

First, George Bush threatens Social Security with record deficits of over $400 billion. Now Bush has a plan that cuts Social Security benefits by 30 percent to 45 percent. The real Bush agenda? Cutting Social Security.

KWAME HOLMAN:

In Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, the senator said President Bush had missed a chance to strengthen Social Security using the surplus he inherited.

SEN. JOHN KERRY:

This president had an historic bipartisan opportunity to protect Social Security. Instead, George Bush squandered that moment, and raided the Social Security trust fund for tax breaks that gave the most to those who needed it the least.

He wants to be the first president in history to put the greatest retirement program in history at risk, a program built by generations of sacrifice and hard work. This is what the president must mean when he talks about his "ownership society": When it comes to your retirement, you're on your own.

KWAME HOLMAN:

Mr. Kerry promised he would protect Social Security, in large part, by restoring fiscal discipline to the federal budget.

SEN. JOHN KERRY:

First, I will not privatize Social Security. I will not cut benefits. I will not raise the retirement age. Because when you've worked hard for a lifetime in our country, America owes you what you've earned. And you're going to get it. Two… second, every budget I send to Congress will detail how we intend to pay for each proposal in it.

We're going to restore the simple rule that George W. Bush opposes and that he took away; the rule that we lived by in the 1990's under Democrats called: Pay-as-you-go. And we're going to put pay-as- you-go back into effect. (Cheers and applause)

KWAME HOLMAN:

In Florida, President Bush punched back at two events. He traveled by bus across the state, his 14th visit there this year. First stop: A rally in St. Petersburg.

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH:

Instead of articulating a vision or positive agenda for the future, the senator is relying on a litany of complaints and old-style scare tactics.

As proven by his record and a series of contradictions in this campaign, my opponent will say anything he thinks will benefit him politically at the time. I will do what I've said we will do. We will keep the promise of Social Security for all our seniors. ( Cheers and applause )

KWAME HOLMAN:

The next stop was in Newport Richey, where the president addressed another crowd of older supporters, and made a pitch for saving Social Security by creating personal savings accounts.

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH:

You've got your checks. You will continue to get your checks, no matter what they try to tell you. (Cheers and applause) and baby boomers, we're in pretty good shape when it comes to Social Security. But we need to worry about our children and our grandchildren.

The job of the president is to confront problems, not to pass them on to future generations and future presidents. ( Cheers and applause ) to make sure Social Security is around when our children grow up, we must allow younger workers to save some of their own payroll taxes in a personal savings account that earns better interest, a personal savings account they call their own and an account the government cannot take away. (Cheers and applause)

When it comes to Social Security, my opponent wants to maintain the status quo. That is not leadership. He's against these Social Security reforms. He's against just about every other reform that gives more authority and control to the people.

KWAME HOLMAN:

President Bush and Sen. Kerry head west tomorrow to the battleground state of Iowa.